Monday, March 23, 2015

The Parable of the Burning House

Opening Statement

I will make some comments on the famous Parable of the Burning House, which is told in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra (see Footnote 1).  But first, some thoughts on the role that lies play in Buddhism.

If the Buddha would ever have to lie to assure my enlightenment, I would rather never become Enlightened. On the one hand, it is written that the Buddha never lies. However, toward the end of Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, there appear these two sentences spoken by the Buddha:
  • "They [the buddhas] act in order to save living beings, so what they say is true and not false" - p268.
  • "In view of the circumstances, however, no one can say that I have been guilty of lies or falsehoods'" - p270.
Regarding the first sentence, "what they say" is true or false irrespective of the motive for ":what they say." That is, motive has nothing to do with the truth or falseness of a statement.

Regarding the second sentence, "circumstances" have nothing to do with one being "guilty of lies." If someone wants to call an object black (even though it is really white), he is lying regardless of any "circumstances."

And finally, we have this quote:

QUOTE:  And the Nirvana Sutra also says, "If all the desires and delusions of all the men throughout the major world system [one major world system equals one billion worlds] were lumped together, they would be no greater than the karmic impediment of one single woman. UNQUOTE: [Source: Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 3, p. 20]

I believe the Buddha made such a statement hoping his disciples would rise up in protest, saying, "That's not true!" In other words, to test his disciples. But, alas, they didn't protest and therefore failed his test.


The Parable of the Burning House

The Buddha tells this parable, in which he appears in the role of a rich man. He then explains to his disciples that the burning house is a metaphor for the everyday, ordinary world. If one refuses to leave this burning house, then he won't be able to escape its dangers and won't be able to transcend that world.

The parable begins on page 91 of the Lotus Sutra, the opening paragraph containing these lines:

QUOTE:

...his wealth was beyond measure. He had many fields, houses, and menservants. His own house was big and rambling..

:UNQUOTE:

By "his own house," it's safe to assume that's the house he lived in, though the preceding sentence says "He had many...houses..." Maybe his sons lived in one or more of those other houses. In his "own house" lived 500 people and an assortment of dangerous creatures. In addition, this house was in a state of severe disrepair. His 50 sons had gone into this house and were so distracted by the games they were playing, they didn't perceive they were in mortal danger because of a fire that was engulfing the house.

The rich man (the Buddha) runs into the burning house, trying to explain to his sons that they should get out before they get killed. But they ignore him, being absorbed in their games. Then the rich man tells his sons that there are fabulous, jewel-encrusted animal-drawn carts outside the house, one for each of them. But they have to leave the house immediately in order to claim them. Which they eagerly do.

The Buddha explains that this house owner is so wealthy, that he could give one such cart to every person in the whole country and still not exhaust his wealth. So that made me ask a couple of questions:
  • If he was so rich, why didn't he post guards to prevent his sons from entering this dangerous, ramshackle house?
  • If he was so rich, why didn't he raze this house after building a new one for the 500 people that lived there? Or he could have built two replacement houses - one for the 500 and one for the various monsters that lived there.
But since that rich man (symbolically representing the Buddha) didn't do that, if any of the sons had died in the fire or been devoured by the monsters living there, the Buddha would have been at fault. I found it interesting that the house represented the mundane world, which the Buddha owned. Not only "owned," but had allowed to reach a state of decrepitude which had made it into a firetrap

On page 94, the Buddha says, "He [the Buddha] is born into the threefold world, a burning house, rotten and old, in order to save living beings from the fires of birth, aging, sickness and death..." Not only is he "born into the threefold world," but since he owns this house and is responsible for its condition and could have replaced it, then the Buddha should be held responsible for any death or injury which might occur in a house he failed to replace.

Maybe the mundane world has the problems is has due to the unexpiated karma of the Buddha himself. Which is why he feels such a strong sense of obligation to return to such a world to make pure that which he bears some responsibility for having made impure.

I have no idea if this is the case, but his ownership of the house and neglect in replacing it made these thoughts occur to me. Of course, maybe I'm dead wrong about this, since it can also be argued that most metaphors are flawed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com


Footnote 1:

All references to the Lotus Sutra above, which cite page numbers, refer to:

The Lotus and its Opening and Closing Sutras,
translated by Burton Watson,
published in 2009 by the Soka Gakkai.

This link will connect you to an on-line version of the Lotus Sutra, also translated by Burton Watson, which lacks page numbers:

http://nichiren.info/buddhism/lotussutra/text/chap03.html



Chicken Dreams

I became a vegetarian one year ago. Before that, I was an avid carnivore, though I tried to work veggies into my diet when the thought occurred to me. But, hands down, I loved meat, especially burgers and steaks.

Maybe it was the chemotherapy that got to me, since one day I vomited up my meat meal and swore, "No more." I've been on chemo since October of 2012 to treat a terminal liver condition called Metastatic Colangio Carcinoma.

Since then, I've had dreams, though perhaps it would be more accurate to say "semi-conscious imaginings." Here's one:

I had seen a TV commercial showing a woman shopping, and she stopped at the butcher's counter. She saw a package labeled "chicken breasts," and said, "Let me have that.

In my imagining, I saw a grocery store full of six-foot tall chickens who were dressed as we humans would be dressed. They were doing their shopping. One female walked up to the butcher's counter. She saw a package that said "female human breasts," and said, "Let me have that." I saw this as a commercial with the camera working its way slowly up the package. I saw the label, "female human breasts." But, mercifully, the camera did not proceed any further, so I didn't get to see the awful contents of that package.

Here's another:

I was tied to a chair in a kitchen, and was forced to watch a chef take a live chicken, kill it, chop off its head, pluck out its feathers, and cut it up till he isolated the parts he wanted - the breasts. Then he prepared one of his signature dishes, cooking the breasts and mixing in the spices and other ingredients to enhance the chicken's flavor.

He knew I was a vegetarian, but that didn't daunt him. He waved this meal under my nose and asked, "Smells pretty good, right?" I said, "Knowing you killed an animal to make a meal out of its muscles is disgusting." Then I vomited on his plate. He tossed the compromised meal into the garbage, swore at me and left after cutting me loose.

I said a prayer: "I pray that this chicken can be brought back to life." And, sure enough, all the parts in the garbage reconstituted to make the original living and breathing chicken.  The bird started pecking away at a pile on the table which was the source of the breading with which his breast muscles had been coated before being baked.

I said, "I'm hungry." The chicken said, "Try this breading, it's actually pretty good." So I did - I joined the chicken in having a vegetarian feast. I'm sure the chicken appreciated that.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 22, 2015

A form of monks' greeting

I heard about a greeting meant for monks, strangers to each other, who might happen to meet when traveling in opposite directions on a road in ancient India. One would say to the other:  "Who is your teacher and what are your practices?" And the other would answer these questions and ask them of the one.

There were a lot of different sects in India during the time when the historic buddha (known as Shakyamuni Buddha) lived. And they had a teacher or guru, and varying numbers of disciples. The ancient Indians took their religions very seriously.

If someone would ask me those two questions in this modern day, I would reply:

"My teacher is Shakyamuni Buddha, and my practices are to read, recite, ponder, and to the best of my ability teach the Three-Fold Lotus Sutra. For Shakyamuni stated within its pages that these practices constitute appropriate practices after he [gave the appearance] of his death. He further stated that all Bodhisattvas attain Buddhahood by means of the Lotus Sutra, which he identified as his greatest teaching."

Wait a minute, you might ask, how can Shakyamuni Buddha who died and was cremated over 2,500 years ago be my teacher? He mentioned in the Lotus Sutra that there is "wisdom that comes of itself, teacherless wisdom, Buddha wisdom." If so, then I wouldn't need a teacher of any kind, not even Shakyamuni.

My belief is that the Buddha made this statement as an expedient means, a device to open up our minds to the lessons the universe itself (we suppose) has to offer. However, there is no such thing as "wisdom that comes of itself." Everything has a cause. Such wisdom might seem to come of itself, but my belief is that the Buddha himself whispers in our ears. Then we end up assuming any wisdom we obtain just pops into our heads - uncaused.

Consider this passage from the Lotus Sutra (see Footnote 1):

QUOTE (page 270-271):

In order to save living beings,
as an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana
but in truth I do not pass into extinction.
I am always here, preaching the Law,
I am always here,
but through my transcendental powers
I make so that living beings in their befuddlement
do not see me even when close by.
When the multitude sees that I have passed into extinction,
far and wide they offer alms to my relics.
All harbor thoughts of yearning
and in their minds thirst to gaze at me.
When living beings have become truly faithful,
honest and upright, gentle in intent,
single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha,
not hesitating even if it costs them their lives,
then I and the assembly of monks
appear together on Holy Eagle Peak.
At that time I tell the living beings
that I am always here, never entering extinction,
but that because of the power of expedient means
at times I appear to be extinct, at other times not,
and that if there are living beings in other lands
who are reverent and sincere in their wish to believe,
then among them too
I will preach the unsurpassed Law.
But you have not heard of this,
so you suppose that I enter extinction.,

:UNQUOTE.

So there it is, but there is more. For the last 8 years, I've practiced alone - that is, without the benefit of a samgha, that is, a congregation of fellow believers. During those years, I've read an English-language translation of the Lotus Sutra over 175 times. If you  made a stack of  this one-inch thick book, that would make a pile over 15 feet high.

In response to my lack of a samgha, I invented a Virtual Samgha. This is a website on which I post essays I've written on a variety of religious topics - not just dealing with Buddhism. I invite comment on these essays, but in the less-than-two years of its existence, I've receive precious few comments.  All good things take time to gain traction, so meanwhile I wait for the Buddha's words to come true in my case, that I will find good fellow students with whom I can study the Lotus Sutra.

Meanwhile, in my war against brick-and-mortar churches, I state:

"I am a member of a sect that has exactly one member - that would be me;
that has exactly one leader - that would be me;
I'm not recruiting though I welcome dialog;
and I don't want your fucking money."

That is, I despise collection plates, though if you want to give alms, make any donations to a cause of your own choosing. For me? That's the United Negro College Fund to which I make donations designated as reparations owed by me - a white American who benefited quite handsomely from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

I encourage you to set up your own on-line Virtual Samgha.  Mine is at:
http://LotusSutraChampions.blogspot.com

Meanwhile, I will continue to practice on my own, since the Buddha has spoken of those seekers of the Way who prefer solitary practices.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Footnote 1:

Any mention in this post concerning the Lotus Sutra refers to this version, which you don't have to buy since it's available on-line, free of charge:

The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras

[That is, the Lotus Sutra, which is preceded by The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, with the Lotus being followed by the Sutra on how to Practice Meditation on Bodhisattva Universal Worthy.  These three are collectively known as the  Three-Fold Lotus Sutra.]

Translated by Burton Watson
Published in 2009 by Soka Gakkai

 

March Madness: Bread and Circuses

I've been watching the elite teams of college basketball on TV during my hospitalization of the last 32 days. I don't really follow sports at any level, but I do appreciate a beautifully executed play. Always did, even as a kid. And I can appreciate these plays all the more, since I don't really care who wins. Never did, even as a kid. As I watched these highly-motivated young men perform their ballet-like motions for us, I couldn't help but wonder: "Do they put as much drive and focus on their collegiate studies or do they do only an average job, saving their best efforts to train for and play this sport they love so much? And which many have been playing since they were eight-years old?"

For those many who don't make it to the NBA, I wonder what the future holds for them. When they look back on their lives - decades from now - will they conclude that their appearance (win or lose) in the Sweet Sixteen marked the high point in their lives?"

How many of them will take their bachelor's degrees in Communications and apply for a master's program that's more challenging? Or will they appear in an Enterprise Rent-A-Car commercial? I remember seeing one a few years ago that boasted of hiring a large number of former college athletic stars - of whom about 30 were featured in a group shot with sub-titles under their images. These titles gave their names and sports, and the year(s) they'd won a championship.

They all looked pretty happy, but maybe that's because it's better to have a job than not have one. They also looked pretty young, so I hope they don't become lifers at Enterprise. If they do, that's when bitterness starts to set in - the regrets that come from not motivating themselves to train for a better job. That bitterness intensifies when they ask themselves, "Why couldn't I have motivated myself to train for a better career with the same intensity with which I had trained as a student athlete?" Damn good question. Maybe a kick-ass life/career coach would have made a difference.

We are the New Roman Empire. Most of us have enough bread but circuses are needed to entertain We-the-People.  More and circuses that are bigger and grander than the ones that seemed adequate only a year ago. You know, so we don't get restless and start thinking about political issues. March Madness has been a smashing success for decades. This could be for a number of reasons:
  • Older Americans admiring the youthful enthusiasm of the student body in attendance;
  • Watching the trumpeters in the band sway from side-to-side as they play their college's fight songs;
  • Admiring the athleticism of the players, doing things our older bodies can no longer do;
  • Witnessing how much the players want to win - with some of them crying with abandon when they lose, with us thinking wistfully, "I used to care like that but I've become too cynical and resigned;"
  • Seeing an underdog team beat one much more highly rated.

I admit that I watch the Sweet Sixteen tournament. But I will never buy a ticket to see a live game. And I refuse to buy the products advertised on TV, from sponsors of these games. I think these kids are being mercilessly exploited, so I refuse to further that cause. Maybe, just maybe enough other people will come to feel and act as I do, and that this circus will fold its tent and disappear. Then maybe, just maybe these kids will crack those books and develop more than just their muscles and the particular skills native to their sport of choice.

And then maybe, just maybe we'll collectively abandon the circuses and start participating in politics.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Importance of Fear

TIME:  The end of World War II

EVENT:  A very special and secret meeting

The leaders of the allied powers got together and reached a consensus:

"The war was very good for us, in terms of giving us the chance to exercise unquestioned and absolute power. The people were behind us all the way. Now that the war is over, our ability to exercise such power will be greatly reduced.What shall we do?"

One approach these leaders all agreed on:  Some kind of threat was needed, which is why the specter of the UFO menace so dominated the news during the 50's and 60's. You don't hear so much about little green men plotting against planet earth these days. That's because even the "best" threats lose their power over time - especially if there's nothing behind them besides anxious governments trying to scare their populations.

I'm not saying, extraterrestrials don't exist. I'm saying, the allied governments did their level best to go into overdrive to convince us that ET's were an imminent threat to our security. And these efforts were made by more than just a handful of nations - a lot more.

Of course,.there were other agents of fear. For five years, the US was the only nation that had nuclear weapons. So a lot of countries in addition to the USSR had to worry about that. The US authorities found it useful to scare us by proclaiming, "There's a Communist under every bed."

Now we've become more sophisticated. The United States uses the War on Terror to nibble away at its citizens' liberties while expanding its ability to make war on just about any country it chooses, if it decides terrorists are being allowed to operate within its borders. Not to mention the prospect of hackers wreaking havoc on our financial system or draining our savings accounts.

I asked one veteran who was taking classes at the university of my employment, "What's the greatest threat to US security?" He said, "Losing the Global War on Terror." I countered with, "The two-party system" - though I should have added, "and  the unconstitutional US Senate's filibuster."

Russia got tired of the war of attrition the US was engaging in, trying to marginalize Russia as a world power.  So it decided to whip up nationalist sentiments and memories of ancient glory going back to its Czarist past. It looks like Vladimir Putin figured correctly that Barack Obama wouldn't intervene militarily in the Crimea (now annexed to Russia) and the separatists who are using heavy weapons trying to win independence for the eastern part of the Ukraine.

Obama's hesitancy, I'm sure, was inspired by the EU members that whispered restraint in his ear - notably Germany.

I'm sure Putin and a great majority of his fellow countrymen were deeply insulted when Tom Brokaw's book came out, declaring that the Greatest Generation lived in the US during World War II. I would agree with Putin and any other Russian nationalist that the Greatest Generation were the Soviets of that era who'd suffered so horribly when battling then Nazis.

The USSR lost 24 million people - 14.2% of its population, which is 42 times greater than US losses.
The US lost 420,000 or .32% (that is, less than one-third of one per cent.). Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

These days, it's not national governments trying to control local populations that we have to fear. It's oligarchs who have forged alliances in order to cement their hold on power. Local governments fear the oligarchs so much, they won't lift a finger to act against them. If you doubt this, just look at the unwillingness of US regulatory agencies to even investigate allegations of financial wrongdoing. For instance, in the aftermath of the financial meltdown in 2008, not a single player - high level, low level, or anyone in between - ended up going to jail for his crimes.

The failure of the SEC to act against Bernie Madoff's $50B Ponzi scheme testifies to either the incompetence of those regulators or their willingness to look the other way. Of course, Barack Obama didn't sack anyone within that agency, probably figuring, "Hey, I've got to work with these people. And I don't want to create a chilling effect on investors, even those who are breaking the law since they contribute a great deal to our economy." Ah, ever the practical man is this Barack Obama, who had sworn to defend our laws as generated by the Constitution.

Regarding the downfall of Madoff, this is an excellent book tracing the author's efforts to air the truth when he realized Madoff was engaged in a scheme of epic proportions:

No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller, by Harry Markopolos.

I can't wait to see what new instruments of fear will be used against us. But I'm sure of this much, no matter which new boogeymen will arise,  No One Will Listen when it comes to whistleblowers who try to unmask these guys..

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com


Friday, March 20, 2015

Chicago's recent mayoral debate

The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on March 17, 2015. Nowhere in this article does it mention that the Tribune had already endorsed Rahm Emanuel for re-election. That kind of disclaimer is vital and should have appeared. I will highlight certain portions in yellow and then I'll insert my comments in green.

QUOTE: [Chicago Tribune editorial - see Footnote 1]

TITLE:  By 6:15, it was over
Subtitle:  Garcia doesn't make a case to unseat Emanuel

You knew it would come, everybody knew it would come: How can City Hall make a mandatory $550 million payment to police and fire pension funds? Sure enough, kaboom, first question. What followed was Monday evening's mayoral debate, reduced to its essence:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's staccato recipe for fixing City Hall's pension crisis leapt from higher employee contributions [Chicago's powerful unions will resist this or will want a pay raise to soften the blow] to a broader-based sales tax, to a city-run casino, [If a casino is that important, why hasn't Rahm managed to conjure one up in his first term?] to TIF surpluses. [TIF money is supposed to be used to upgrade economically depressed communities.] He concluded with an overarching rationale: Financial stability will give people "the confidence to bring jobs and people back to Chicago [So why, under Rahm's leadership as mayor over the last four years, has Chicago's bond rating sunk five times, so it's now only two steps above junk status?]

And Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia? The first words from his mouth: "It depends." Because his team has to "open up the books to understand what the real finances of the city are." Garcia didn't answer the question [Garcia did answer the question. It seems the Tribune failed to realize the huge advantage enjoyed by the incumbent in that only Rahm knows what's in the books.] but did get in an off-topic jab about Emanuel subsidizing rich people.

OK, we thought, he'll find his footing. Soon came a question many Chicagoans ask: property tax increase. Discuss.

Emanuel flicked at his earlier answer and said, "Everything I'm doing is to avoid a property tax increase." [That doesn't mean that, once re-elected, Rahm won't ram such an increase through the City Council - a Council known to be Rahm's rubberstamp.] But Garcia doubled down: "You cannot move forward until you show the taxpayers of Chicago where the money is going." Ouch. [What do you mean "Ouch?" Chuy's right on this point. Maybe this would have been a good time for the Trib to mention their bias - that they had already endorsed Rahm.] A second admission from Garcia that, nearly five months into his campaign for mayor, he doesn't talk even to the nearest billion about City Hall finances. [How can he talk, until he sees those books?] The closest he got was a shot at Emanuel for failing to get Chicago's house in order, and "now talking in a sophisticated way about how he's going to do it." The obligatory next line - Here's how I'm going to do it - never arrived. [This line couldn't have arrived since, again, one cannot offer a plan without knowing the detailed financial records at Rahm's disposal. As for Rahm, he's had four years to "do it," but hasn't.]

On it went: Garcia, asked how he would replace the $70 million in revenue from the red light cameras he promises to remove? "That is part of the challenge." With each wan answer from Garcia [Garcia's simply repeating an inconvenient truth - one which the Tribune doesn't like since it favors the strongman model personified by Rahm], Emanuel  filibustered anew about his plans to right Chicago with a mix of reform and revenue. ["filibustered" is a strange choice of words here. But it can't mask why Rahm hasn't managed, in four years, to implement these reforms and obtain those revenues.]

Fifteen minutes into the hour, the debate was as good as over. The longer the men talked, the more obvious it was that this was a debate about one, and only one, candidate's ideas.  ["Ideas" which Rahm had four years to implement but hasn't. "Ideas" which Garcia honestly admitted he couldn't offer unless he had access to the same secret financial records enjoyed by Rahm.]

One cliche of this race is that Garcia's sole platform plank is: "I'm not Rahm."

That's not fair; Garcia plainly loves Chicago and wants to revive its moribund neighbors. [If we know that much about Garcia, that's all we have to know. Rahm cares more about his buddies in high finance - that much we do know.] But given a wide-open chance to explain the financial plan that will make his dreams possible, he stuck to platitudes. ["Platitudes?" Another strange choice of words. Garcia simply admitted he needs more information upon which to base a plan.] We watched every minute. But we didn't have to.

:UNQUOTE.

Apparently whoever had written the editorial quoted above in its entirety wasn't aware of the following or chose to ignore it. Here, I make no comment:

QUOTE: [See link on Footnote 2 to see complete version of this Sun Times article]
  • The decision by Moody’s Investors Service to drop Chicago’s rating for a fifth time under Mayor Rahm Emanuel — from Baa1 to Baa2 — may cost the City of Chicago tens of millions of dollars.
  • He noted that even before the downgrade, the state of Illinois had the lowest credit of all 50 states, and the city of Chicago had the worst credit rating of any major municipality except Detroit.
:UNQUOTE.


Many of Chicago's voters will be over-impressed by the recent announcement that the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) has been sold  for a record $1.3 billion. They'll conclude, "It seems someone is so bullish on Chicago that they'd sink that much cash into obtaining this property." Maybe the truth is, these investors are bullish on Chicago's established business district but - there's a lot more to Chicago than this.

The next article doesn't have anything to directly do with Rahm or Chuy, but will give you an idea of the political culture at the state level they'll have to navigate once elected. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

Again, I comment in green what I highlight in the article in yellow:

QUOTE: [Chicago Tribune lead story, see Footnote 3]

TITLE: Lobbyist sues to boost pension for 1 day as sub in classroom
By: Ray Long

A union lobbyist who qualified for a teacher pension windfall by subbing at a school for one day is suing a state retirement board because his benefits were scaled back once his sweet deal was exposed.

Retired Illinois Federation of Teachers lobbyist David Piccioli, 65, is arguing that lawmakers violated the state constitutional provision that says a pension cannot be "diminished or impaired" once it is set.

Piccioli is already collecting $31,485 from the Teachers Retirement System. If he wins his case, his teacher pension could increase by more than $36,000, the Tribune estimated - more than doubling what he gets now.

["more than doublnig" based on one day served as a substitute teacher - and that will be for life!]

[more follows]

:UNQUOTE.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

Footnotes:

Footnote 1:

Chicago Tribune, March 17, 2015

Footnote 2:

http://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/7/71/401903/moodys-drops-chicagos-bond-rating-another-notch-two-levels-junk-status

Footnote 3:

Chicago Tribune, March 19, 2015

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Netanyahu's next moves

Benjamin Netanyahu just won election to his fourth term as Israel's Prime Minister in a come-from-behind victory. "Bibi" had a little help from two sources:
  • Speaker of the House John Boehner's invitation to the Prime Minister to address a joint session of Congress on March 3;
  • "Bibi's " announcement on the last day of his campaign for election that as long as he serves as prime minister of Israel, there will not be an independent Palestinian nation.
It surely didn't hurt "Bibi's" cause when Israeli television showed footage of the PM getting a standing ovation from our Congressmen who have become too used to telling anyone who will listen how much they love and support Israel.

As for coming out against an independent Palestine, he must have felt truly desperate to have tipped his hand since he would have better served his cause by pretending to be open to the possibility of a two-state solution. In order to win this election, Netanyahu had no problem dashing Palestinian hopes and thereby driving moderates into the open arms of militants bent on attacking Israel in small and (when possible) large ways.

I personally believe Netanyahu has two long-range strategies in mind which he will employ when he feels the time is right:
  • He will expel all non-Jewish Israeli citizens from the country or he will at least strip them of their Israeli citizenship in support of his doctrine that Israel is a Jewish nation;
  • He will move to annex the land which Israel's right wingers believe God had promised the Jews thousands of years ago, which includes the entire West Bank, most of Lebanon, and parts of Egypt and Syria.
Bibi is still under the almost hypnotic influence of his hawkish father, even though Benzion passed away in 2012. In response to Bibi's moves against the establishment of an independent Palestine, Palestinians and their allies will do anything within their power to oppose such moves. For they know if they were to roll over and play dead, thereby allowing the PM to have his way in the West Bank, right wing Jews will become intoxicated due to this success. Then they'll simply go nuts in their attempts to expand Israel's borders to include the land God promised them.


But there's a problem

I think God is testing the Jews. He might or might not have promised them this land. But land promised can be shared. Once a gift is given, then the recipient can do what he wants with it, unless there were strings attached. In which case it wasn't really a gift, now was it?

If the Jews insist on expanding their territory thereby increasing the poverty and suffering of their half-brothers, then they will pay a terrible price. Jews and Muslims have the same father - the patriarch Abraham - but different mothers - Hagar (matriarch of the Islamic people) and Sarah (matriarch of the Jewish people). If the Jews insist on continuing to treat their half-brothers so shabbily, they will have failed God's test. And the promise that the Jewish faith will become a light unto all nations will have been destroyed by the secular tribalist known as Benjamin Netanyahu.


A sad transformation

BN is known to me as Been-Jammin' Knittin'-Yahoo for these reasons:
  • Been-Jammin' - a derivative of his first name of Benjamin - which means, "The PM has done his best to 'jam' up the peace process, to gum up the works in a sabotage kind of way. He's 'been jammin' ' for as long as he can, as much as he can."
  • Knittin' - as in the photo below in which the PM knits his eye brows in anger.
  • Yahoo - a yahoo is a person who, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is "very rude, loud, or stupid." The Israeli PM sure comes across that way when he feels stressed out.

Compare these two images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (AFP Photo / Jack Guez)





 Yosemite Sam.png


It wouldn't take much to morph the photo taken by Jack Guez (AFP) so it looks like a perverted version of Yosemite Sam (shown above), a creation of Warner Brothers. Sometimes the actions of real, live people makes them appear cartoonish.

 On a more serious note

Maybe it's about time to implement the eighth of the thirty-one promises contained in my contract when I ran for President against Obama and Romney in 2012:

QUOTE: [source:http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-electoral-contract-of-steven-searle.html ]

[source: The Electoral Contract of Steven Searle for U.S. President]

EIGHT [of 31 points]:  I will veto any bill presented to me by Congress if it has any provision for any type of aid or loan to Israel or Egypt.

:UNQUOTE [I was the only presidential candidate in the history
                        of this country to offer an enforceable, written contract
                        to the voters in exchange for their support].


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Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
Former Candidate for US President (2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com